Edmonton’s newest festival, SkirtsAfire, herArts festival, has announced its first season! The festival will take place on Alberta Avenue (118th avenue) from March 7th to 10th, 2013.
SkirtsAfire is a festival that empowers, celebrates, develops, supports and showcases women in theatre and other art forms. It will create a platform for Canadian women’s stories and the female voice – women writing, directing, designing, choreographing, painting and putting music to their own stories. We love the men in our lives and embrace and welcome their support and inclusion too.
2013 Festival Lineup:
GWG: Piece by Piece
Created by Maria Dunn in collaboration with Don Bouzek and Catherine C. Cole.
Piece by Piece is a video ballad that celebrates the self-reliance and grace of immigrant women working at the GWG factory over its 93-year history. Featuring Maria Dunn, this live performance is interwoven with songs and video and is inspired by these stories. Click to view a clip of the video.
When: Thursday, March 7 @ 8:00 p.m.
Where: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 118 Ave)
Substance of Space: A Visual Art Show
This group visual art show features recent work by Nika Blasser, Alysha Creighton, Megan Hahn andClaire Uhlick. In the past few years, these four artists have all studied and produced work in Edmonton, Alberta. Through a variety of styles and perspectives, these artists consider the concept of physical and emotion ‘space’ in two dimensional visual media.
When: Opening reception Thursday, March 7th 4-7pm and runs throughout the festival
Where: The Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts (9225 118 Ave)
She Speaks: A Storytelling Circle
Five strong women from different backgrounds will share their personal stories – what a remarkable way to recognize and honour International Women’s Day. Join us to experience these women’’s unique journeys of both the everyday and the unusual as well as the heartbreak, challenges, and triumphs that emerge.
Featuring: Starla, Tiffany, Juanita and Bernice.
When: Friday March 8 @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts (9225 118 Ave)
A Peek Under Our Skirts: A Showcase of Her Talent
This cabaret is packed with talent from across the Edmonton Arts Scene coming together for one night to celebrate International Women’s Day. It’s a raucous extravaganza of song, rap, dance, comedy and improv. Come out and have a peek….you know you want to.
Featuring, Booming Tree, Kate & Bridget Ryan, Dana Wylie , Rapid Fire Theatre, Tzadeka, Patricia Zentilly and Bridget Jessome.
When: Friday, March 8 @ 8:00
Where: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 118 Ave)
Girls! Girls! Girls! Singing Girls!
Man oh man do we have girls who can sing…and play…and write. These smart, soulful and talented musicians will inspire you with their original songs and stories. Featuring Andrea House, Paula Humby and Laura Metcalf (The Duets), and Adrianne Salmon
When: Saturday, March 9 @ 2:00
Where: The Carrot Community Arts Coffee House (9351 118 Ave)
The Photograph
by Dana Rayment
A Staged Reading presented in partnership with Theatre of the New Heart
Gina and Mark lose their baby in a stillbirth. They cope by resorting to their most comforting ally. Their camera and their battery of photographs. Will it be enough?
When: Saturday, March 9 @ 4:00 p.m.
Where: Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts (9225 118 Ave)
Body Language
A Fusion of Spoken Word and Music.
This collaboration features poetry created and performed by outstanding women, who bring a broad range of experience and backgrounds together into a celebration of voice and story. These talented writers are, Audrey Shield, Erika Luckert, Felicity Collins, Laurie MacFayden and Medgine Mathurin. Complementing the poetry are songs of peace, freedom and equality sung by Edmonton’s own Notre Dame des Bananes Choir.
When: Saturday, March 9 @ 7:00 p.m.
Where: Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts (9225 118 Ave)
Billy Kidd: A Magician of the Female Nature
A high energetic show filled with mind reading, a hilarious routine based on Houdini’s straight jacket escape, lots of audience participation and one of the oldest magic tricks in the world. Watch as Billy turns paper to money, finds a card while dangling from a trapeze, or reads your mind in unexpected ways.
When: Saturday, March 9 @ 8:00 p.m.
Where: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 118 Ave)
Her Story
by Nadien Chu and Annette Loiselle
A Staged Reading directed by Mieko Ouchi, Photographic Design by Nicole Deibert, Sound Design, Paul Morgan Donald.
Blindfolded and bound in a barn in rural Alberta, as she tries to escape, Ash is forced to face her demons and uncover her own self worth. Her Story takes us on a journey of pain, addiction, street life, abuse, surprise, love, hope, loss and forgiveness. There are no easy answers…..
When: Saturday, March 9 @ 9:00 p.m.
Where: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 118 Ave)
Peep Show
A tease of new plays presented in partnership with Alberta Playwrights Network. 4 exciting new plays – 4 fantastic female playwrights. So, put your quarter into the slot and catch a glimpse into the future of skirtsAfire and the Edmonton Theatre scene.
When: Sunday, March 10 @ 2:00 p.m.
Where: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 118 Ave)
Colleen Brown
SkirtsAfire will end with a bang at 4:30 on Sunday afternoon when Colleen Brown plays us out. Colleen Brown grew up on the prairies of Alberta and Saskatchewan and is now a force on the Canadian music scene. She writes music that takes on the subjects of love, work, disappointment, and the many facets of humanity; she is often compared to Joni Mitchell and Carole King; she is played regularly on CKUA community radio and CBC nation-wide (including Q with Jian Ghomeshi); and she has toured and/or appeared onstage with Hawksley Workman, Jim Cuddy, Kathleen Edwards, Emm Gryner, Hannah Georgas, Frank Black, Don MacLean, Patrick Watson, Jakob Dylan, Crash Test Dummies and Buck
When: Sunday, March 10 @ 4:30
Where: Alberta Avenue Community League (9210 118 Ave)
Once Upon a Belly Tale: Belly Dancing Work shops
These workshops are two roots of the same tree as women share their own histories though music, through dance from their own bodies. What is your story? Let us draw the veil; begin the drumbeat; light the light.
Workshop 1 (2:00-3:00) will take you through ancient steps through modern music as you weave your story (Saskia Arts of Luna Dance Fusion instructor).
Workshop 2 (3:30-4:30) This workshop will be drawing upon both ancient steps and traditional, exotic music fusing the past in the present (Donna Cucheran of Nomadic Tapestry instructor).
When: Sunday, March 10 2:00-300 and 3:30-4:30
Where: Bedouin Beats (11805 94 Street)
